It is well known that cats sharpen their claws by "scratching" them on various objects. Where a suitable object is not provided, cats will use whatever is available. This often results in damage to furniture, carpeting, draperies or other household articles which are selected by cats for this exercise.
Cat owners have long known to provide a scratching post for the cat to use. When properly constructed, it will be more attractive to the cat than the available household items. When this is true, the cats will usually choose to use the supplied scratching post, sparing the furniture. Scratching posts have been constructed of a variety of materials including cardboard, as disclosed by Kahanick in U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,485, cork, Frank, U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,556, and, more commonly, carpeting, Bradford, U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,429. Some posts have been designed to attach to doors, see Frank, supra, and Barnes, U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,128 while the majority are designed to rest on the floor, see Bradford, supra.
In addition, some cat owners use protective devices which prevent cats from scratching furniture. These devices are typically constructed from a material, such as hard plastic, which the cats are unable to scratch, and are attached to or cover the surface of the furniture in areas where the cats are prone to scratch. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 336,033 to Welsh. While deterring the activity at that location, these devices do nothing to protect the remainder of the furniture or to fulfill the need to scratch.
It is desirable to provide a single device which serves both of the roles of scratching post and furniture protector. When placed over a portion of a piece of furniture in a location already selected by the cat for scratching, it will protect the furniture by shielding it, and will supply a surface suitable for scratching, fulfilling the cat's basic need and attracting it away from other portions of the furniture.